Dozens of migrants from Ceuta reach mainland Spain via the Strait of Gibraltar

Spanish police have recorded a fresh wave of illegal crossings through the Strait of Gibraltar: over the past few days, dozens of migrants from Morocco have landed on the country's coast after making the journey by boat. The information comes from police sources.

According to their data, on 1 August a group of around twenty Moroccan migrants arrived in the coastal area of Punta Carnero in the city of Algeciras. Spanish police detained four of them, while the rest managed to escape.

A wave of boats in just a few days

On Friday, a boat carrying eight migrants arrived at the same spot. On Saturday, ten people came ashore at San Roque beach, and a few hours later another boat with twenty migrants landed at Poniente beach. The following day, police recorded the arrival of two boats simultaneously, carrying 17 people between them — one in Algeciras and another near Levante, close to La Línea de la Concepción.

According to police sources, these events amount to a "worrying revival" of the migration route through the Strait of Gibraltar. Typically, boats carrying migrants approach close to the Spanish shore, dropping people off just short of land and forcing them to swim the rest of the way before going into hiding from the authorities.

Mass arrivals in Ceuta

Separately, Spanish authorities reported on the situation in the enclave of Ceuta: over four days, around 72,000 migrants arrived there, though 69,500 of them were sent back to Morocco.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz